leaving mains packed

[moth 0]

How long can/do you leave ZP mains packed before opening them and repacking them? The reason for the question is, that the one of the reasons for reserves being made out of f111 fabric is that it doesnt stick to its self when packed for long periods of time.

[slotperfect 7]

Two good threads on the subject:

http://www.dropzone.com/cgi-bin/forum/gforum.cgi?post=1019128;search_string=blocking;#1019128

http://www.dropzone.com/cgi-bin/forum/gforum.cgi?post=1288968;search_string=blocking;#1288968

Arrive Safely

John

[ripcord4 0]

I never leave any main - round, square, zp, F-111, whatever - packed for more than one month.

[moth 0]

John i know that there is a lot of threads that have been discussed in the past. But cmon youve got to let some of them run again, cause most of the people on dz.com are new and there are new people every day. So a search on the forums isnt always the best advise

[FrogNog 1]

Wouldn't it be about as good to bump the threads?

And what's wrong with helping the noobs on dropzone.com use the search function? Granted, searching is not always easy to get the desired results, but when someone else searches and finds some good threads and puts links to those in their responses to new posts, isn't that pretty good for everyone around?

-=-=-=-=-
Pull.

[teason 0]

Quote

I never leave any main - round, square, zp, F-111, whatever - packed for more than one month.

Um.... why not?

I would rather be a superb meteor, every atom of me in magnificent glow, than a sleepy and permanent planet.

[crazydiver 0]

In the exam for an A license with USPA one of the questions is how often primary (main) and/or secondary (reserve) parachutes must be packed. And the FAR's clearly state that it is every 120 days on a back type container. The FAR's generally come from Poynter's manual, which is a very conservative and someone dated source. AKA...in my opinion, they can go even longer than that and still be jumpable, but the regulations require every 120 days.

You are right though about the ZP stickin to itself, but this is not something that will happen in a few short months. THis is very long term and would usually require being exposed to extreme environments..i.e. heat, chemicals.

Cheers,
Travis

[CrazyL 0]

120 days, that's it. each rig i service I like to have the main as well. The main components get thrown out at 120 mph and wear much more than the reserve. I have definately pulled apart zp fabric that was stuck to itself from being packed too long. It is rare. Brand new ZP tightly packed for 4 months will more than likely fall out of the bag as a 'brick'.If you have a questionably packed main, repack it. Packing a main takes less time than packing the reserve!